For people seeking work or an escape to a better life in the United States, it's going to cost about two times the current amount, following a move by the Trump administration to hike fees on various immigration applications.
Michelle Mendez, director of defending vulnerable programs at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), calls the move an assault on immigration.
"This rule, these fees that have increased will make it extremely difficult for individuals to become legal immigrants, specifically to become naturalized immigrants, to become citizens," Mendez told Cheddar.
The new fees, which are set to be increased in October, will also gravely impact the world's most at-risk populations seeking asylum in the U.S., Mendez added.
"$50 may seem to be a small fee for many of us. We have to understand that asylum seekers leave their countries, they flee their countries with practically nothing," she said.
While news of the increased fees may be looked on as damning, Mendez said the move is on par with the Trump administration's previous moves to eliminate "access to the legal immigration process."
"During the [presidential] campaign, the rhetoric was very much focused on illegal immigration. We knew that that actually meant they were going to attack illegal and legal immigration," she said.
For Mendez, the idea of increasing fees and making the process even more difficult for people who want to become American is a jab at the foundation upon which the country was built.
"When we limit the opportunity for people to be engaged in the process by being citizens, that really undermines our democracy. That really undermines our democratic process," she stated.
An unofficial coalition of far-right extremist groups are set to descend on Portland, Oregon this weekend and the city’s mayor has a clear message for them: you are not welcome.
J.D. Durkin made his way to an Iowan raceway and watering hole as the Hawkeye State hosts the many candidates vying for the primary election.
The Trump administration significantly weakened the Endangered Species Act (ESA) this week, largely gutting its implementation mechanisms to allow for greater economic development in protected habitats. The decision — announced by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior on Monday — was widely condemned by critics who say the revised regulations will hurt biodiversity and wildlife at a most precarious time.
Argentina’s stock market and currency value plummeted this week following a shocking electoral defeat on Sunday for President Mauricio Macri, the nation’s conservative leader.
Markets soared Tuesday morning following the Trump administration's decision to delay and revise its latest round of punitive tariffs against China. The Dow jumped over 400 points while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite both rose roughly 2 percent.
The Iowa caucus is still six months away but Democrats are not wasting any time in their effort to return the state to their side of the aisle. Yet the confidence is equally strong within the Republican party.
VineSight, an AI-based start-up, is working to detect misinformation attacks against candidates like Joe Biden or Kamala Harris early during their campaigns.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Aug. 12, 2019.
Hong Kong International Airport came to crippling halt on Monday with thousands of anti-government protesters occupying the airport’s main terminals. Authorities said operations have “been seriously disrupted” and cancelled all flights in and out of the major international hub.
Michael Sonnenshein, managing director of Grayscale, told Cheddar that recent developments in the U.S.-China trade war are proving to be evidence that Bitcoin has emerged as a safe-haven asset.
